Archival Paper Collections

Manuscripts, Correspondence, Data, & Field Notes

The Peabody Museum Archives is continually working to provide electronic access to the collections through finding aids and digital imaging. Many of the Peabody Museum’s archival collections are not yet processed or available online. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work toward improved intellectual and physical access to the archival collections as resources are made available.

The paper collections include more than 1,400 cubic feet of manuscripts, correspondence, data, and field notes from the Peabody’s earliest expeditions, dating from late nineteenth century. Because many of the paper collections are not processed, visiting researchers may need to spend extra time working with the papers.

Finding Aids

For collections that are processed, Finding Aids provide information and detailed descriptions about the contents of manuscript and paper collections. The Archives tries to regularly upload Finding Aids online to OASIS (the Online Archival Search Information System), a union catalog of Finding Aids created by archival and manuscript repositories at Harvard. Collections represented on OASIS have links to the OASIS homepage. To learn more about OASIS and to view Peabody Museum Finding Aids online, follow the OASIS link, then click on “Peabody Museum Archives” from the "Limit by Repository" menu. The following is a sampling of online Finding Aids at the Peabody Museum Archives. Please see OASIS for a complete list of online Finding Aids.

About the reproduction of Documents (low resolution scans and copies, for research use only)

Accessioned archival materials may not leave the building to be reproduced elsewhere.

Duplication is at the discretion of the archivists; fragile materials and bound volumes may not be scanned because of preservation concerns. Very large reproduction requests may be declined at the discretion of the archivists and/or may be subject to additional policies and procedures.

The Museum will not charge for the first 20 scans requested. For each additional scan over the first 20 scans, there will be $0.60 fee per scan. A scan is defined as a single scan on a flatbed scanner (e.g., a double-sided page is processed as two scans).

Fees are paid via credit card on PayPal. The requestor does not need a personal PayPal account to use this service.

Scans will be delivered electronically after receiving payment. A minimum of 2 weeks is required for most orders. More time may be necessary depending on the size of the order and condition of materials.

Request copies of Peabody Museum images and permission for their use. Click here.

Access Collections

Access to the Peabody Museum archival collections is coordinated by the Archives staff. Please explore the following information on Planning a Research Visit at the Peabody Museum Archives.